Denis Ndekezi
Scientist B
MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit
Plot 51-59 Nakiwogo Road
Entebbe, Uganda
Uganda
Denis Ndekezi is a public health researcher and behavioural scientist with expertise in adolescent health, sleep research, and disability-inclusive research in East Africa. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and has contributed to various epidemiological studies among adolescents, including research on HIV prevention, mental health, and behavioural interventions. He has taken lead and co-lead roles in school-based psychological and behavioural intervention studies, including the Better Sleep Better Health project and the MENISCUS Trial, both focused on Ugandan adolescents.
Denis supports the Disability Research Group (DRG) led by Associate Professor Femke Bannink Mbazzi under the Non-Communicable Disease Research Theme at the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit. The group focuses on improving the health, development, and quality of life of people with disabilities in Uganda and the wider East African region.
He is a PhD fellow at the International Centre for Evidence in Disability (ICED), Department of Population Health, Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). His doctoral research, supervised by Dr Femke Bannink Mbazzi, Dr Andrew Sentoogo Ssemata, and Professor Janet Seeley, evaluates a youth-led approaches to disability-inclusive health research in East Africa under the DIY East Africa research programme.
Affiliations
Teaching
Denis supports teaching qualitative research methodology at the MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit, helping early career researchers and students develop practical skills in data collection, analysis, and interpretation. He provides mentorship and supervision to research assistants and team leaders, fostering their growth in qualitative and mixed-methods research. Through hands-on training and ongoing support, Denis helps build local research capacity and promotes rigorous, contextually grounded approaches to public health research. His mentorship emphasizes ethical research practices, participant engagement, and the translation of qualitative insights into actionable health interventions.
Research
Denis has a passion and deep commitment to adolescent health, behavioural and psychological interventions, disability-inclusive research, community engagement, and participatory research methods. He has led and contributed to multiple studies focused on improving sleep, mental health, and menstrual health outcomes among adolescents, with particular attention to the needs of young people with disabilities.
Denis is dedicated to advancing evidence-informed public health interventions and policy through rigorous process evaluation of complex programmes. He is also committed to mentorship and capacity building, fostering youth and community involvement to ensure culturally relevant and sustainable health solutions in low-resource settings.
Selected Publications
